


Weddings Can be a Real Mother

by Peggystormborn



Series: Every Time...A Karamel Anthology [25]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Allie and A.J. are getting married y'all!, F/M, KaraMel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-18
Updated: 2019-06-18
Packaged: 2020-05-13 20:44:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19258852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Peggystormborn/pseuds/Peggystormborn
Summary: Kara and Mon-El's Daughter is getting married! To Lena and James' adopted son!But can the mother of the bride and the mother of the groom get their children hitched without strangling each other in the process?





	Weddings Can be a Real Mother

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I may have a slight propensity to indulge in wedding fics. Sue me.

"Are you _crazy_?" is her response. As she looks down upon her boyfriend of two years, gazing up at her on bended knee, diamond ring in hand. His brows knit together, hopeful face melting into one of confusion.

 

"That...wasn't exactly the response I was expecting…" he deadpans.

 

"Oh, baby, I'm sorry, that's not…I'm just…" she sputters. "I'm not saying _no…_ "

 

"...Um...okay…"

 

"...It's just…I'm me...and you're you…"

 

"...Uh-huh…"

 

"...And we're… _really_ different…"

 

"...All right, um, Allie, honey, do you mind if I stand up now? I don't have invulnerable knees."

 

"Oh! Sure, of course."

 

A.J. Luthor rises to his feet, brushing the snow off his right pant leg. He looks around at the inside of the Fortress with a sigh. So much for the romantic notion of proposing here in this amazing crystal palace, a piece of her alien heritage, under sight of Rao and her ancestors. Not to mention the site of her parents' own nuptials. "So...just to be clear, you're not about to break up with me, are you?" he asks. "Because if you are, the flight home is gonna be...pretty awkward."

 

"What? No! I love you! I've loved you since I was fifteen. I just want to think this through."

 

"...Not precisely how I imagined this going. But okay. What specifically do we need to think through? I love you, you love me, I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

 

"But that's just it, love. The rest of _your_ life."

 

"And?"

 

"What about the rest of _mine_?"

 

A.J. exhales heavily. "I guess I...try not to think about that."

 

"I just worry. Look at Lois and Clark. She's getting older, he's not...you can see how hard it is for them. And my mom and Aunt Alex...I know that's different, but still…"

 

"...I know." He flips the top of the ring box shut and puts it back in the pocket of his parka. Allie watches the beautiful gift disappear, and has to fight back the tears welling in her eyes.

 

They stand there for a moment, trying to figure out where they go from here.

 

A.J. sighs and gazes at her beautiful face, with those two deep blue pools staring back at him. "Allie, when we were kids, and we fell in love, neither of us expected we'd be here today, right? I mean, teenagers fall in love. It happens every day. Then they change, grow up...split up…"

 

"...Which we did."

 

"Right. And for most people that would be it. But then we found each other again. And it was just...it felt right to me. Like a question had been answered. And during all those years apart, I never found anyone I cared about anything like the way I love you. You just...you have this spirit, this beautiful heart, that feels like…it feels like you're part of my soul."

 

"I know. I feel that way too." She reaches for his hands, clasping them in her own. They're a bit chilly, which is not surprising considering their location.

 

"And I get that this is an easy choice for me. I would be the one that gets to have you my whole life. And you...would have to watch me grow old without you. And that's a terrible thing to have to ask, I know. But tell me this...if we weren't together, do you think you could just...turn this feeling off? Go back to not loving me like this? Because I know without a doubt that my heart will always belong to you. You're the love of my life, and maybe I could settle for someone else, but that's what it would be: settling.

 

"But if you'd rather…not...if you think it would be easier for us to be apart, then...as much as it would break my heart, I would let you go. For me, I know there's no amount of time or distance that would make me love you less. My heart's yours. And it always will be. But…it's your choice. You know how I feel."

 

"What about…children?"

 

"Children? Well...I mean...I want them. I don't really know anything raising them, considering my birth parents were a criminal mastermind and his batty sidekick. And Aunt Lena and Uncle James…they did their best, but they never a hundred percent got the hang of the whole parenting thing. I mean, I was already sixteen when they adopted me. But...don't you? Want kids?"

 

"I do...but…it's complicated."

 

"Uh, well...we'd have to ask your grandmother for help, the way she helped Lois and Clark make Jonathan."

 

"...In a lab."

 

"So? It's no different really than going to a fertility clinic. Plus, maybe she could check my Luthor DNA for psychotic tendencies, while she's at it," he half-snarks.

 

Allie ignores the joke, and its more serious insinuations. "The difference is our kids would have my powers. They'd probably grow up to do what I do. Would you...be okay with that?"

 

"Is that what you're worried about? Allie, I want nothing more than to start a family with you. And if our kids grow up to become a few more saviors of humanity, then what's wrong with that? I mean, I know I'm just a regular old human, but Clark's parents are human, too, and they managed. And your Aunt Alex, she raised Conner mostly on her own. And your parents…"

 

"...Are two of the most powerful people on the planet. And they _still_ struggled."

 

"As do all parents. This stuff is never going to be easy, but it's a challenge I know we can face, hand in hand. And…" he hesitates.

 

"What?"

 

"I assume…our kids...they'd probably have a lifespan similar to yours. Meaning you'd still have them, have a piece of me, long after I'm...you know."

 

"...Aaaand we're back to this." Her face falls, and she unclasps her hands from his, folding them over her chest.

 

"Look…if you need time to think about all this, I understand."

 

"I don't need time."

 

"Oh." His heart sinks, and he nods slightly as he turns to walk away, trying desperately to hold back the dam of tears threatening to burst forth.

 

She grabs his arm to stop him. "Yes."

 

"What?" His head snaps back to look at her. Her own eyes match his, he sees. Watery, but wide open.

 

"You're right. It doesn't matter if we're together or apart. Either way I'm going to be madly in love with you. I always have been. And I don't want to miss out on having a life with you just because I know it won't last forever. I'll take you, A.J. I'll take you however I can get you. For as long as we have together."

 

"You mean you'll…"

 

"Yes, weirdo, I'll marry you!" She laughs through her tears, a brilliant smile spreading across her face.

 

Floored, he takes his alien bride-to-be into his arms and kisses her breathless, for long minutes. When they finally pull apart, she holds her left hand out, palm facing down. He looks at her with confusion, until she clears her throat.

 

"Ahem…" She wiggles her fingers as well as her eyebrows, brimming with giddiness.

 

"Oh!" He finally gets the hint, and pulls the ring box back out of his pocket. He slides the sparkling circlet onto her finger, and she has to stop herself from literally jumping up and down with joy. Clark and Kara would be pissed if she broke Uncle Jor-El's statue again by causing an earthquake on the premises.

 

"Holy Rao, I can't wait to tell my Mom!" she squeaks, barely holding it together. "She's going to be so happy!"

 

********

 

"Lena, what the _hell_?!" Kara huffs, marching into Lena's office at LCorp. "What _is_ this?" She holds up the latest issue of the National City Tribune, which sports a rather prominent headline: _LCORP CLOSING ALIEN HEALTH CLINIC._

 

"It wasn't my idea, okay?" Lena, now in her fifties, still dons her signature color, black, with red lipstick. But her formerly-raven locks are now streaked with grey, and she's given up the stilettos that she once considered a fashion staple. Years of daily wear had given her tendonitis, so she'd reluctantly switched to flats, only to find the relief of donning comfortable footwear each day incredibly liberating.

 

"It says here you _approved_ it!"

 

"Look, Kara, it wasn't profitable…"

 

"I'm sorry, _profitable_?!"

 

"Yes! I'm running a business here, Kara. I have shareholders to consider, and the Board…" Lena paces back and forth behind her desk as she explains.

 

"Oh, here we go again…"

 

"What do you want me to do, Kara? He bought a huge amount of stock in my company. Not a controlling interest, but enough that the Board couldn't reasonably say no to giving him a seat." The "he" in question here was Ross Webster, former associate of Lex Luthor and, as of six months ago, the monthly occupant of a plush leather chair in the LCorp Directors Boardroom.

 

"I _still_ don't understand how you could have let that happen!"

 

"I couldn't stop him, Kara, he did it all legally."

 

Kara just stands there, seething. "And I _also_ don't understand how that son of a bitch isn't in jail."

 

"Well, don't look at me, Kara, dealing with criminals is _your_ job."

 

"Excuse me? What are you implying, that it's _my_ fault the feds couldn't put together enough evidence to pinch him?"

 

"No, of course not. It just...is what it is, okay? Look, he's an old man. I'm sure he'll kick the bucket in a few years and then the world will be rid of him. Until then…"

 

"Until then, where the hell are aliens supposed to go in National City when they need medical care?"

 

"I…guess they'll have to go to Midvale," Lena concedes. The past few decades, Kara's own mother Eliza had taken it upon herself to open a medical practice in Kara's Earth hometown. It had been hugely successful, being the first such establishment available for aliens to go and receive treatment. However, its suburban location meant that most of her patients were established middle-class families with insurance. By contrast, the National City clinic served a population of more recent emigrants, many of whom were uninsured.

 

"My mother's retired, and her practice can't _possibly_ handle all those new patients. And what about the ones without cars? Most aliens don't get around the way I do."

 

"Look, I know this is awful, okay? But my hands are tied. And, frankly, I have a lot going on right now putting out Webster-related fires. Do you know how many meetings I've sat through with our PR folks trying to figure out how to spin my brother's partner in crime being affiliated with the company I've spent the last two and a half _decades_ trying to disassociate from him?"

 

"Whoa, whoa…you're worried about bad _press_? Lena, this right here, _this_ is the bad press you should be concerned with!" She tosses the newspaper on her friend's desk, flabbergasted at Lena's priorities right now.

 

"Kara, as I said, there's nothing I can do about the clinic. It's been in the red since day one, and I can't ask the shareholders of my company to keep a failing business afloat just out of the kindness of their hearts. That's not how it works."

 

"I'm sure you can find a way…"

 

"Kara, have you ever run a multinational corporation before?"

 

Shocked, Kara just stands there, speechless.

 

"You know what, I'll answer for you. You haven't. So how about this: why don't _you_ stick to what _you're_ good at, and _I'll_ stick to what _I'm_ good at, okay?"

 

Kara scoffs, and opens her mouth to speak, until she hears her cell phone ding. And Lena's, too, a split second later. Frustrated at the interruption--but afraid not to look, in case it's Supergirl-related--she grabs it and checks the message. From Allie.

 

_Mom, can you and Dad come by our apartment ASAP? Need to talk to you._

 

Kara groans. "Look, I have to go. Can we…discuss this another time?"

 

She looks up and sees Lena looking at her own phone, suddenly distracted. "Yeah, fine, whatever. Bye."

 

********

 

She's there twenty minutes later. She would've come faster, but she'd spotted smoke on the horizon as soon as she left LCorp, and was off like a shot to put out a rather large apartment fire across town. When she arrives, she's surprised to see not just her husband sitting in the living room in full red Valor uniform, but Lena and James, too.

 

"Oh…" she starts, closing the balcony door behind her as she enters. "Uh…long time no see, Lena…" her joke goes unacknowledged, as Lena is clicking out a message of some kind on her phone. So Kara, still in her supersuit, sits on the love seat next to her husband, who's been happily chatting with James. She holds Mon-El's hand, and they smile at each other, before turning to their daughter, who's standing in the middle of the room, side by side with her live-in boyfriend.

 

"So…probably you're wondering why we asked you here," Allie starts, hands clasped behind her back.

 

"Uh...yeah," James says. "I think we're all a bit curious."

 

"Right, well, we were just up at the Fortress…" Allie starts to explain.

 

"Oh, did you bring Kelex back?" Lena asks, hopefully.

 

"Uh...no, we didn't...we were a little preoccupied," A.J. says.

 

"Wait, why would they bring Kelex here?" Kara inquires, with some concern.

 

"Clark said I could borrow him," Lena shrugs.

 

"Borrow him? For what?"

 

"His spectro-analyzer is way more sensitive and accurate than anything I have at my lab. And I'm trying to figure out a better quality control process for the telecom units LCorp has been manufacturing for deep space communication. We've had some failures, and I want to avoid having to issue another recall."

 

"Right, because that would cost _money_ ," Kara snarks. "Can't have that! I know how important it is to you."

 

Lena scoffs, wanting to snap back, but opts for reason. "These devices are intended to help aliens here on Earth communicate with loved ones back home, get news and information, even send photos and holograms. I thought you'd be supportive. Not every alien here on Earth has access to a transmat portal to their home world, you know."

 

"Lena, do you really want to get high and mighty in a conversation about transmat portals? Because I seem to recall…"

 

"...You know what? I don't think _anyone_ wants to talk about transmat portals," Mon-El attempts to diffuse the situation. "I think we want to hear what the kids have to say."

 

"Yes, we do," Lena turns away from her best friend and back toward her adopted son. Kara, visibly resisting the urge to pout a little, looks at her daughter and plasters a smile on her face.

 

A.J. and Allie look at each other anxiously, unsure what it is that's rather inconveniently gotten in between their respective mothers.

 

"Right, well...as we were saying…we were at the Fortress…" Allie attempts.

 

"Wait, what for?" Kara wonders. "You didn't tell me you'd be going there today."

 

"Well, we're getting to that, but…"

 

"I told her I needed to get some data from the computer there," A.J. fills in.

 

"What data?" Kara's voice darkens. "Neither of you talked to me about accessing the crystals or the database. Is this for some other LCorp moneymaking project?"

 

Lena glares at her, as Kara shoots her friend some unsubtle side-eye.

 

"Right, Mom, that's not really important, we didn't actually…" Allie sighs, exasperated.

 

"Not _important_?! There's a reason we keep our family's history and wealth of knowledge in one of the least accessible places on Earth, honey. It's not a freaking internet cafe, do you understand? And I really think that…"

 

"Oh, for Rao's sake," Allie interrupts, rolling her eyes to convey that she's just about done with this nonsense. "We're getting _married,_  okay?" She produces her hands from behind her back, and holds out her left ring finger, which now sports a rather large, very sparkly emerald-cut diamond with a delicate platinum band. " _That's_ what we wanted to tell you."

 

Kara's jaw just about hits the floor, and all four of them sit there in stunned silence for a moment. Lena in particular is as wide-eyed as either member of the young couple ever seen her. A.J. wonders at the expression she's making, the one he often refers to as Aunt Lena's "lightbulb" face. He wonders if it's something he should be concerned about. Lena having grand ideas doesn't always lead to sunshine and puppies.

 

Finally, Mon-El stands up, tears in his eyes, and wraps his arms around his daughter, squeezing her tightly.

 

"Congratulations, sweetheart! We're so happy for you, and we love you, _so_ much."

 

"Thank you, Dad," Allie melts. She's always been a bit of a Daddy's girl. "I love you, too."

 

Mon-El breaks away and turns to hug his son-in-law to be.

 

A.J. returns the hug, but then pulls back, with some anxiety. "You're not gonna give me a shovel talk, are you? Because I'll be honest, as fathers-in-law go, you're...slightly intimidating."

 

"I don't think that will be necessary," Mon-El replies with a chuckle. "You were always a good kid, and now you've grown into a very good man. I know you'll make my daughter happy. And if you don't, I'm pretty sure _I'm_ not the one you should be worried about."

 

The young Luthor gulps, and looks at Kara, who smiles warmly. "I think he's referring to your bride-to-be. Who, you may have noticed, is pretty capable of taking care of herself."

 

"Obviously," Allie says, smugly, as Kara steps up to hug her daughter.

 

"Are you sure about this?" Kara asks, in a whisper only detectable to super ears. Allie pulls back, an incredulous look on her face, and nods solemnly.

 

"Okay, okay…just checking." Kara looks over at Mon-El, who also heard the remark. His disquieted look tells her she's maybe overstepped a bit. "I'm really happy for you, baby. Both of you."

 

Allie sighs. " _Thank_ you, Mom."

 

Lena and James join in next, with hugs and well wishes.

 

"Now…what about the wedding, huh?" Lena digs right in, not missing a beat. "I know of a _fantastic_ wedding planner, I'll call her right away. Did you have a date in mind?"

 

"Uh...no, we hadn't gotten there yet," Allie explains. "We haven't even really talked about it, I thought just something simple, with the family…"

 

"Right, sure…" Lena pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through her contacts. "Ah, here she is. I'll call the country club, too. See if they have any availability in the next few months."

 

"County club?" A.J. asks. "I'm not sure that's quite…" he looks at Allie, who's also tilting her head, uncertain about the direction this conversation is going.

 

"Yeah, that's not exactly what we…" Allie explains.

 

"All right, if not the club, the National City Regency…" Lena's train of thought keeps chugging along.

 

"The hotel?" Allie wonders.

 

"Yes, their Starlight Ballroom is beautiful, and it seats two-fifty."

 

"Wait…" A.J. puts his hand up, trying to pause things. "Two hundred and fifty...guests? I don't think we even _know_ that many people."

 

"Oh, it'll be lovely! I mean you only get married once, right? Just leave it to me. No expenses spared, I'll take care of everything. All right, I need to get back to the office, but I'll set up an appointment for us with the planner ASAP, okay? Congrats, you two!" She hugs and kisses them, before grabbing her purse and heading out the door.

 

Everyone watches her go, dumbfounded.

 

"What just happened?" A.J. asks no one in particular.

 

James chuckles. "Well, Lena Luthor was born, and now, five and a half decades later…looks like you two are getting a dream wedding!" He claps his adopted son on the back.

 

"Uh...okay. I mean...I guess…" Allie sighs wearily.

 

"Wow," A.J. marvels, plopping down in Lena's vacated seat on the couch. "You know, I imagined _literally_ everything about today going _very_ differently."

 

"You know what? I don't care. I will marry you any time, any place," Allie says to her husband-to-be, sitting down and giving him a peck on the lips. "And if it makes Aunt Lena happy to make a whole to-do of it, then so be it."

 

"That's sweet of you, honey, but it's _your_ wedding. It should be what _you_ want," her mother says.

 

"It's fine, Mom. It'll be fine."

 

Kara and Mon-El look at each other, and simultaneously sigh.

 

"Well, for now, I propose we engage in a tried and true Danvers family celebratory tradition," Mon-El suggests.

 

"What's that?" A.J. wonders.

 

"Eating a whole bunch of food," Kara explains. "You've been around this family long enough to know how we roll. Come on." She rousts the two young adults off the couch, and out of the apartment. As they're grabbing jackets and bags, and just as the two supers are about to speed-change into normal clothes, Kara adds, "And don't worry about Lena. I'll handle her."

 

As they walk out the door, James pulls Mon-El aside while Kara and Allie are giggling excitedly, fawning over the ring the younger blonde now dons. "Hey, make me a deal, okay? Give me a heads up if you see this... _whatever_ is going on with Kara and Lena starting to boil over, okay?"

 

"Will do. And vice versa," the Daxamite replies.

 

"You got it. I honestly don't know what their deal is, but I can see this leading to...I don't know, but nothing good."

 

"Yeah. I can see that, too. Probably best to keep an eye on it."

 

They nod, and follow the others to dinner.

 

********

 

"All right, on to swatches," the planner, Lettie, pulls out another binder, and begins flipping through various hues of off-white.

 

"Um, honestly, I probably sound like a broken record, but any of these is fine," Allie says. She's been looking through books of things all afternoon, with little in the way of strong preference for anything. She was never one of those girls that fantasized about poofy white ballgowns and tiaras. "Here. Classic Ivory. Is that okay?" She looks at Lena for approval.

 

"If you're sure that's what you want," her honorary Aunt says, with just the slightest tinge of dismissiveness.

 

"Is it... _not_ okay?" Allie bites her lip.

 

"How about this one? Highland Mist," Lena suggests. They look nearly identical to Allie. Maybe the second is a bit more greyish.

 

"Perfect!" The Daxatonian feigns enthusiasm as best she can. All she really wants is to go home and spend time with her husband-to-be. Hell, she'd even be happy with a good old fashioned natural disaster to deal with, if it meant this seemingly interminable afternoon perusing  wedding decor would finally come to an end.

 

"Wonderful," Lena sighs. Lettie, can you send it to the designer, so he can put some sketches together?" The planner nods, and excuses herself to go do just that, promising to return in a moment with a selection of chargers and flatware to look over.

 

"...We need a designer to sketch table linens for us?" Allie wonders aloud, when she leaves.

 

Lena shoots her an incredulous look, mixed with a sort of condescending bemusement. "No, sweetie, not tablecloths. These are for your dress," Lena responds, patting her thigh in a motherly way.

 

"Wait...my dress? But...I wanted to wear my mother's dress." Allie's brows knit together as she deflates.

 

Lena, who's already moved on to busily pulling up floral design concepts on her tablet, stops short. "Oh. Well, Allie…your mother's dress has...a certain decoration on the front."

 

"You can say glyph. Lettie's out of earshot. I can hear her in the stairwell talking to her boyfriend on the phone."

 

"Fine. It has the House of El glyph. You certainly can't wear that in public."

 

"I…guess I didn't think of that." Allie slumps a little, disappointed.

 

"But don't worry, the guy who's making your dress is apparently the next Vera Wang. You're going to look like the princess you...technicallysort of are."

 

"Uh...okay. Thanks, Aunt Lena."

 

Lettie returns just then, and they move on to selecting table settings. Allie looks out the window longingly, like a schoolgirl stuck in detention, and sighs.

 

********

 

"They're here!" Zora says, flying in through the back door of Kara and Mon-El's house in Coast City with a stack of garment bags in her arms. Her father sits on the couch, watching the National City Sharks play the Gotham Rogues. Zora gives him a hug and kiss and a "Hi, Daddy" as she comes in, unloading her cargo gently on the kitchen table.

 

They'd purchased the place some years ago after they'd been compelled to leave their old life as Danverses behind. Somewhere around middle age, their preternatural youth had caught up to them. So, once their youngest had gone off to college, they had sold the house, packed up, and started a new life. Kara was heartbroken to leave Catco, but there was just no way around it. She couldn't possibly pass for a woman in her forties, let alone fifties. It was just...time.

 

But she'd found a new job, made new friends, carved out a place for herself as Kara Matthews, with her husband, Mike. And she and Mon-El settled into life as the world's youngest-looking empty nesters, in their lovely new beachfront home near a secluded rocky promontory. Perfect for coming and going without being noticed.

 

"Anyone order some dresses?" Zora asks aloud, though it's obviously rhetorical. They're all gathered here for precisely this reason.

 

"I can't wait to see! Allie, what color are they?" Alex asks.

 

"Your guess is as good as mine," Allie shrugs.

 

"Wait, you didn't...pick them out?" Kara wonders, somewhat appalled. "I thought you hashed all this out during your meeting with the planner."

 

"Uh...no," Allie admits. "The afternoon was getting pretty long…like… _really_ long, actually, and then I finally got a call about an armored car heist I had to go deal with, so she said not to worry and she'd take care of it."

 

"Well, moment of truth," Zora says, and unzips the first bag, with her own name on it.

 

It's a rather bright color of yellowish green, with an overlaid pattern of what looks like large tropical ferns, sleeved but off the shoulder, clearly to accentuate the wearer's cleavage. For some reason, it's above the knee in the front, with irregular pleats, but it fans out into an elaborate train in the back.

 

"What the hell?" Kara says when she sees it.

 

"Uh...well…it's very...high fashion," Allie tries to defend.

 

"Allie, can we please call a spade a spade? It's ridiculous," Zora stares her sister down.

 

"Okay, it's...not what I had in mind, granted, but...can everyone just try them on? Here, Zor, here's yours. And Aunt Alex, and...huh…there's one more…"

 

"Who for?" Alex wonders. "I thought it was just going to be the two of us in your bridal party."

 

"Yeah, well, let's see…the tag says it's for you, Mom."

 

"For me? Lena picked a dress for me, too?" Kara balks. "That's... surprising. Don't Mothers of the Bride usually choose their own dress?"

 

Kara unzips the bag, and out tumbles the same hideous monstrosity that her sister and younger daughter are holding.

 

"What the…" Kara says. "Why would…?"

 

Until it hits her.

 

"Oh, Rao," Kara shuts her eyes and exhales. "Lena is expecting me to be one of your bridesmaids."

 

"What? But you're my Mom! You and Dad are supposed to walk me down the aisle!"

 

Hearing his name, Mon-El pauses the game and hauls himself off the couch to join the conversation. "What's this now?"

 

A steely look comes over Kara as her eyes darken. "We can't be the Mother and Father of the Bride. Because we look too young. So she's trying to pass us off as a couple of random relatives."

 

"What?" Alex says, flabbergasted. "Why can't you just...use some image inducers? Make yourselves look older?"

 

"Those only work if no one gets too close," Kara says, in a near monotone. "They're fine for most everyday activities. But...at a wedding...hugs, kisses, even dancing too near can interrupt the holographic field. Cause it to distort or flicker. She won't risk us embarrassing her."

 

"It's the same reason we don't really use them long-term," Mon-El clarifies. "It's just an unnecessary risk. But I figured...just for one day…"

 

"It's fine, it doesn't matter. If I can't walk with you looking like yourselves, then what's the point?" Allie tears up a little, and puts the bag down on the back of a chair, hem of the green mess spilling onto the floor.

 

She marches away from everyone, out the back door into the yard. Or...not exactly a yard, but rather a flat, rocky clifftop overlooking the ocean. Allie loves this house, though she misses the Midvale home where she did most of her growing up. The home with the play set and swings, where would use her breath to freeze puddles after a big summer storm and slide around with her siblings, where her mom would light up the fire pit with her heat vision so they could roast marshmallows. The place where she had her first kiss with the man she's about to marry.

 

But here, at least, there's a certain stillness. It may not be full of childhood memories, but it's peaceful. Like a middle ground between the home they used to share--full of laughter and tears and playful arguments and the occasional broken door frame or banister--and the Fortress, a literal monument to solitude. Maybe her parents need that at this point in their lives: a place that shelters them from the chaos of the world.

 

She trudges out to the edge, looks down at the waves crashing against the craggy face below the bluff.

 

"Hey, pumpkin," a familiar voice croons from behind her.

 

"Hi, Dad," she replies. "Is Mom upset?"

 

"Uh...I think Lena's probably going to get an earful. But mostly she's worried about you."

 

"And right now I'm more concerned about this whole thing ending in Mom and Aunt Lena trying to strangle each other. Mom probably has a _slight_ advantage there."

 

"So...I take it this is...not turning out to be a dream wedding after all?"

 

"What dream? I never cared about this stuff. I wasn't one of those girls who picked bouquets of violets so I could play bride. I never even played princess…"

 

She catches her father stifling a smile, and rolls her eyes in mind annoyance.

 

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Royal blood and all. That's probably the reason I was never into all that. I guess it reminded me of...how I was different from all the other kids at school. So many secrets, all these rules you guys set to make sure no one found out who we were."

 

"I'm sorry for that. Do you ever wish…"

 

"No, no…I'm very glad to have had the life...the childhood that you gave us. That's not what I meant. I guess growing up super was always going to be weird. You'd think after all that I'd want this...you know, the big, extravagant, picture-perfect day. But I just...I just want to be married."

 

She sighs, crossing her arms. He walks up and puts an arm around her shoulder.

 

"...Hypothetically," she continues. "if I were...you know, the _actual_ princess of Daxam, what...would my life have been like?"

 

"Well…hard to say, since there's no chance in hell my mother would have married me off to a Kryptonian. But... _hypothetically_ …you'd probably have found that life just as empty as I did. The servants, the drugs and drinking and...other stuff." He flushes a little at the thought of his debauched existence on his home planet.

 

"Um...eew."

 

"Sorry. But it's true. And I like to think that when I became King I would have been better than my parents, but...I don't really know. I never planned for what I would do when that day came. Mostly I just hated my life, felt uncomfortable all the time, and tried to dissociate as best I could. Until...I found my way here, and met your mother. And...you know the rest."

 

"There must have been _some_ good things about that place."

 

"There were. We were very tolerant of different lifestyles, for one thing. For all our systemic flaws, we did care about the quality of our people's lives, and made sure their basic needs were met. And we valued happiness. Just like your mother and I value _your_ happiness."

 

"I know you do. Look, A.J. and I will…figure all this out."

 

"Honey, you know you can just say no, right? You don't have to let Lena call all the shots."

 

"I know, it's just, she's about to be my mother-in-law, and I don't want to let her down. This whole thing seems to be _really_ important to her. I don't really know why, honestly. I guess...maybe because she never had a wedding of her own?"

 

"Well…except…"

 

"Oh, Rao, _please_ don't tell the story of you almost having to marry Aunt Lena. It's... _so_ freaking weird."

 

"Okay. No stories."

 

Allie shuffles her feet, and rests her head on her father's shoulder.

 

"Just out of curiosity, what were Daxamite weddings like?"

 

"Uh...formal, and almost always arranged. Often from birth. More like a business transaction. I mean, the officiant would say some nice words about finding your star and whatever, but…it didn't mean much."

 

"Were you... promised to someone? I mean, other than Lena."

 

"No, it was different for the royals. My parents would have wed me off whenever it was politically expedient. Although certain traditions would have been observed. The dress, for example…red was the traditional color, everyone wore that. And uh...it tended to be a bit revealing. Frankly, I think you might have hated it even more than that thing hanging on the back of my kitchen chair right now."

 

Allie sighs heavily. "Speaking of kitchens…we should probably get back inside and deal with…"

 

As if on cue, Zora appears at the door. "Guys? We might have a slight situation."

 

"What is it?" Allie asks.

 

"Well...Mom flew off to go give Lena a piece of her mind."

 

"Ho boy," Allie and Mon-El say in unison.

 

********

 

"It's just a dress, Kara. And it's for one day. You'll live." Lena stands there, impeccable as usual, even though she's just been at home all day making phone calls.

 

"It's hideous!" Kara paces back and forth in Lena's penthouse.

 

"Do you know how much those dresses cost? How hard they were to get? I had to call the designer personally! I owe her a favor now!"

 

"Oh, give me a break, Lena," Kara huffs. "And that's not even the point!"

 

"Okay, what _is_ your point, then?" Lena says, with growing exasperation.

 

"You are out of your damn mind if you think Mon-El and I aren't going to be walking our own daughter down the aisle. What the hell were you thinking?"

 

"Kara, come on. All these years trying to keep up your secret and you're gonna throw it all away just for a wedding?"

 

"She's my _daughter,_  Lena! I'm not gonna sit on the sidelines her whole wedding day pretending I'm her second cousin or something."

 

"Fine. Then don't come."

 

"Are you...are you serious? Lena, that's insane."

 

" _You're_ the one being insane! There's going to be hundreds of people there, and you and Mon-El _cannot_ be publicly seen as her parents! You _know_ this!"

 

"Allie and A.J. are seriously inviting _that_ many people? That sounds crazy, who even _are_ all these guests?"

 

"Kara, I know you sometimes think this whole family revolves around you, but it doesn't. We have _other_ people in our lives."

 

"I do _not_ think that!"

 

Lena side-eyes her friend, and goes to grab her purse. "Fine. Then let me walk you through the beautiful day I'm putting together for _our_ children, and then you'll see why things have to be this way."

 

"Where are we going?" Kara's brow starts crinkling.

 

"You'll see," Lena says, cracking a half-smile.

 

********

 

They stand there--behind the huge, sprawling mansion--on the expansive, impeccably manicured lawn, surrounded by beautiful topiaries, perfectly groomed hedges and flowering bushes, and a gorgeous circular fountain at the far end with a large, conspicuous letter L in the middle.

 

"Here? Really?" Kara wonders aloud.

 

"It'll be stunning!" Lena answers. "We'll put the chairs here, there'll be flowers everywhere, I'm having a specially designed chuppah hand made out of driftwood and silk damask with an antique crystal chandelier in the back, and…"

 

"Chuppah? I didn't know A.J. was Jewish."

 

"He's not, but it'll be gorgeous. Spared no expense. Oh, and there'll be ice sculptures, and tea lights everywhere, and let me tell you about the seven-tier cake…"

 

"Lena, I'm sure it'll be right out of a fairy tale, but...is this really what the kids want?"

 

Lena stops in her tracks and looks at her friend with incredulity. "Of course! Why wouldn't they?"

 

"Because this all feels like exactly what _you_ would want...but more and more I'm getting the feeling you haven't even _asked_ them."

 

"Of course I have! Allie was there with me and the planner, and A.J…well, he's my son, nothing means more to me than his happiness. He knows that."

 

"So…you've talked to him, and he's on board with having the wedding here, at Luthor Manor?" Kara gestures at the surroundings.

 

"I can answer that," a young man's voice calls out, as he approaches, hand in hand with his wife-to-be, and both their future fathers-in-law a few steps behind. "He's most definitely not."

 

"A.J.? What are you all doing here?" Lena asks.

 

"What am _I_ doing here? _I_ got a call from James, who got a call from Mr. Danvers…" he stops himself, remembering he's not sixteen anymore. "Sorry, Mon-El…l may or may not ever get used to calling you that…anyway, he was with Allie and said you two might be having some sort of battle royale over this stupid wedding." He cringes, looking over at his bride-to-be. "Not _stupid._..I didn't mean…"

 

"Oh, no, stupid is the right word," Allie replies. "And...enough of this. This is crazy! Look at this guest list!" She holds up a printed email from Lena, sent earlier today, with exactly 324 names on it. "Aunt Lena, neither of us even _know_ 95% of these people!"

 

"Sure you do!" Lena walks over and grabs the sheets from Allie, scanning through the names and pointing to a pair on third page. "Look, see, Philip and Wanda St. George. A.J., you went to prep school with their son, Trevor."

 

"So? He wasn't even my friend, he was an asshole! And I don't recall ever meeting his parents," the young man rebuts.

 

"Oh, I'm sure you did," Lena waves off his concerns. "And here, Marlo Cartwright, I know you've met her. She's a major investor in a couple of our subsidiaries."

 

"Wait, are these people all connected to LCorp?" He yanks the pages back.

 

Biting her lip, Lena shrinks just a tiny bit. "Not... _all_ of them."

 

"Oh, my God," A.J.'s arms flop down to his sides, and he drops the list on the ground. " _That's_ what this is about. You're trying to use our wedding as a _rebranding_ opportunity. Because of all this Webster nonsense."

 

Lena freezes, a bit shellshocked. "No! That's... I..."

 

A.J. scoffs. "Wow. You know, I can see it all now. The magnificent white wedding, heir apparent to the Luthor throne and his beautiful bride, society page, big spread in CatCo magazine, maybe even some paparazzi, and before you know it, everyone forgets about that snake joining the Board."

 

"That's not true!" Lena argues, feebly, as everyone's eyes turn to her. "I just...I thought…I just want to protect our family's name, our reputation! For _both_ of you! And for the _next_ generation of Luthors!"

 

"Well, maybe there won't _be_ a next generation of Luthors. Maybe I'll take _her_ name and become a Danvers! Why not? _Her_ Dad did it!"

 

Mon-El cocks his head to one side. "To be fair, I didn't really _have_ a proper last name, unless 'of Daxam' counts…"

 

Kara gives her husband her patented "unamused" stare-down, and he clams up.

 

"A.J., please don't say that," Lena pleads, ignoring the joke. "It meant _so much_ to me that you took our family name when we adopted you. I know you thought seriously about sticking with your mother's last name."

 

Her nephew rubs the bridge of his nose. " _How_ could you think I would want to get married here? _Here,_ of all places?"

 

"Well...the Starlight Room was booked up for ages, and I just thought…"

 

"Thought what? That I'd want to get married in the place where I spent the worst years of my life?"

 

Everyone seems to hold their breath for a moment, as redness creeps up the younger Luthor's neck, and he balls his fists in an uncharacteristic display of looming rage.

 

"...Oh, honey...I didn't think…"

 

"No! Clearly you didn't! You didn't think about everything I went though, living under the same roof as that... _monster_ , did you? Well let me fill you in, huh? See that garden shed on the far side? That's where I used to hide from him, for hours sometimes, when he got in one of his _moods_. Or how about those steps over there, that he tossed me down, when he didn't think one of my tech designs was good enough? Not even caring that I fractured my wrist? Or maybe…"

 

"...Okay! I get it. It get it," Lena stops him, starting to tear up a little. "Oh, God, you're right, I'm so sorry. I got so carried away with...everything…and I didn't stop to think about whether all this was what you wanted. But I really _do_ want you to be happy, both of you."

 

A.J. starts to come down from his diatribe, tension ebbing from his shoulders, and he exhales deeply.

 

"I'm sorry for yelling, Mom…" he finally says, coaxing a small smile from her. "I know you've been working really hard on all this, and I do appreciate it.

 

"So...are you planning to ask us?" Allie prompts.

 

"Ask you what?" Lena wonders.

 

Allie closes her eyes in frustration, an attempt to keep from rolling them. "Ask us what it is we actually _want._ "

 

"Oh! Right. How about we sit down with the planner tomorrow, all three of us…"

 

Kara clears her throat with emphasis.

 

Lena pauses and takes a slightly annoyed breath. "Okay, then, _four_ of us. And we'll figure out what changes need to be made. Though I hope she doesn't murder me when I break the news we have to scrap all those plans...I will admit I was kind of excited about the floral design, among other things."

 

"Well, if you like it so much, why don't _you_ just get married?" Allie shrugs.

 

"Love, there's no need to be snarky," Kara chides her daughter.

 

"Who's being snarky? I'm serious. This is obviously something that's been kicking around in your head for a long time, Aunt Lena."

 

"Allie, that's...I can't just...it's not that simple," Lena explains. "James and I agreed a long time ago that we weren't getting married. That we didn't need a piece of paper to keep us together."

 

"We agreed not to have kids, too, but becoming a Dad to this guy here is one of the best things that's ever happened to me," James pipes in, patting A.J. on the shoulder before walking over to take Lena's hands in his. "Next to you, of course. So...maybe this is life's way of telling us it's time to make a new plan."

 

"Are...are you serious?" Lena gapes at her boyfriend.

 

"Honestly? Yeah. Yeah, I am. I mean, this is… _nothing_ like how I imagined proposing, but...I _have_ imagined it. So…I'm game if you are. I've known for a long time that you were the one I wanted to spend my life with. What do you think?"

 

She smiles coyly. "I...could be persuaded. But...was there an _actual_ proposal in there somewhere?"

 

James chuckles as he gets down on one knee. "Lena, will you…"

 

"...Oh, screw it. Yes. Yes, James Olsen, I will marry you," she interrupts, suddenly giddy with excitement.

 

They kiss for a moment, before James breaks away, scrunching his handsome face. "Shoot. I don't have a ring or anything," he laments.

 

"That's okay. You may have noticed I'm a woman of particular tastes. We'll call my jeweler in the morning."

 

"Of course we will," James laughs and smiles dreamily at his now bride-to-be.

 

"Yay!" Kara squeals, before freezing in place, a look of horror coming over her face. "Oh, God…"

 

"What is it?" her husband asks.

 

"...This means I'm still gonna have to wear that nightmare of a dress, aren't I?"

 

********

 

Both days are picture-perfect, in their own way. Lena gets the over-the-top gala wedding she masterminded herself, and a few weeks later, Allie and A.J. tie the knot at a very special seaside locale: the site of the couple's first proper date when they were just teenagers. New to the secrets that governed her whole family's existence, A.J. at that point already knew she was an alien with superhero parents. What he didn't yet understand is how Supergirl and Valor had managed to create four children without anyone on Earth knowing about it. Certainly there had never been any public indication of the last Daughter of Krypton being pregnant.

 

The explanation, of course, involved a ten-year trip to the future, where all four Daxatonians were conceived, gestated, and born.

 

Even knowing what he knew already, Allie realized that "born in the 31st century" was still a little out there.

 

So, she'd brought him to a particular spot on the beach, not too far from her grandparents' home in Midvale. It was on the end of a rocky peninsula, a somewhat treacherous hike, difficult to access for most people. Of course, she was not most people. And now that A.J. knew her biggest secret, neither was he.

 

"My Dad used to bring me here when I was young," she'd said. "He'd tell me about Daxam, and Krypton, and how he met and fell in love with my mother. The landscape is a bit different, and the foliage has changed...global warming and all…but it _feels_ the same. The breeze, the water, the smell of the salt. I always loved coming here when I was a little girl...a thousand years in the future…"

 

She'd taken a deep breath and gazed at him, trying to gauge his reaction. Would he think she was crazy? Or messing with him? But he'd just smiled, though his eyes were quite wide. Then he'd wrapped an arm around her and simply said, "Why don't you tell me about it?"

 

They were so young then, but somewhere inside her heart, a seed was planted. The knowledge that he was the one for her.

 

So there they wed. Allie's sister and aunt stand up as bridesmaids. Her brother and cousin are groomsmen. And since the only people invited are those who know the family's secrets, her parents get to walk her down the aisle. As their normal, un-image-induced selves.

 

It's the small, intimate, simple affair the young couple had longed for. She wears her mother's dress, glyph and all. And though they know their future will hold challenges as well as promise, they focus on the joy of being together, joined as a family. At last.

 

After the happy couple leave for their honeymoon, their respective parents sit at the bar, celebrating.

 

"So I guess we really _are_ one big happy family now," James says.

 

"We always were," Kara corrects.

 

"Yeah, but it's nice to make it official."

 

" _Plus…_ " Mon-El prompts.

 

"What? Kara wonders, side-eying her spouse.

 

He smiles broadly, slightly more so thanks to the not-insignificant amount of alcohol he's imbibed. "We'll get to share grandchildren!" he says dreamily.

 

"Maybe give them a minute. I'm not quite ready to be a grandmother. And they _just_ got married," Lena puts the brakes on.

 

"I know, I know, they have plenty of time," the Daxamite waves his hands at his friend with playful dismissiveness. "But still...I can't wait. I miss the house being full of laughter and little footsteps."

 

"Plus, now _she'll_ get to be the one to deal with all the broken furniture and sibling rivalry nonsense…" Kara smirks.

 

"Well, good to know you've got your priorities in order," James chides his alien friend.

 

"Hey, never let it be said the joys of parenting don't include a little dose of schadenfreude here and there," Kara snickers. "And don't forget the headaches those two caused us when they were teenagers, sneaking out and getting into all kinds of shenanigans."

 

James ponders this, but can't really argue. Becoming a father to A.J. had certainly been a trial by fire.

 

"God, it's gonna be weird watching you two be the youngest-looking Nana and Pop-pop I've ever seen," he chortles. His alien friends can't help but laugh along in agreement.

 

"To our family's future," Kara toasts, holding up her champagne flute. "And the many blessings sure to come."

 

They clink glasses, as the sound of "Crazy In Love" comes over the speakers, and Kara polishes off her bubbly drink and drags them all out on the dance floor.

 

Mon-El, truth be told, is a little tired (and more than a little tipsy) but as always, he can't deny his wife, his Queen, anything that makes her happy.

 

Or, for that matter, his little Princess.

  
  
  
  



End file.
